Managing for Adaptive Capacity in Climate-Ready Fisheries

Peer-reviewed research on Managing for adaptive capacity in climate-ready fisheries
The project team recently published outcomes from this work in Marine Policy (open access).

OST is partnering with researchers at UC Davis to explore how fishermen and fishing communities can be more responsive to unexpected climate-driven changes while maintaining ecosystem stewardship.

Recent extreme events caused by a confluence of multiple stressors, including climate-driven ocean changes, are revealing vulnerabilities in marine ecosystems and fishing communities on the West Coast. Traditional mechanisms for managers to respond to these devastating events are often reactive and delayed. Therefore, as these extreme events become more frequent or severe, there is growing interest in developing new proactive ways for fisheries and reliant communities to deal with the unpredictable impacts of climate change.

“Climate-adaptive fisheries” – i.e. fisheries management systems that adapt to changing conditions and community needs in response to, and in preparation for, climate change – has been considered a potential tool to address the dual challenges of high uncertainty and management speed that climate change presents. However, specific attributes and options for building adaptive capacity for fisheries and fishing communities remain unclear. To understand management options, a critical first step is to characterize the margins of adaptive capacity that exist for West Coast fishers and understand the scientific conditions associated with those margins.

OST is partnering with Dr. James Sanchirico and Dr. Matthew Reimer at UC Davis to facilitate research that will help California decision makers better understand the margins of adaptive capacity in West Coast fisheries that could maximize climate resilience. Fishery and permit attributes are being characterized to highlight the degrees of freedom currently available to fishers and how managers can think about increasing climate adaptability.

To ensure the research is grounded in the California fisheries management context and potential California specific climate change scenarios, OST is supporting the research team in actively seeking guidance from managers and stakeholders throughout the project. OST has engaged with California fishing community stakeholders and has been coordinating with state decision makers since the outset of the project to calibrate the scientific outputs so that they are realistic and salient to the specific needs and conditions fishing communities face.

Dr. James Sanchirico, UC Davis
Dr. Matthew Reimer, UC Davis